Hi Roger,
I have JP FreeStyleWave 85L. The local lake where We/I sail is a "great lake". When wind picks up we have bump and jump conditions BUT we need to slog 1km in order to reach that spot. Slogging with stock 25cm wave/freestyle fin for 1km, no comments, but it shapes up your skills. It is cold now so it is not time for shaping.

I am thinking two things 1) get free ride fin and use it for magic 1km run and switch fin when I get there. I???ll need to have backpack or something to keep 2nd fin???but I do not like that an idea at all 2) get free ride fin and use it all time. The sail I use is 5.0-6.0.

Is there any other solution? What size fin to get (I am 72kg)? I???ll be down in Hatters in 2-3 weeks, You know market better then me, where to buy a fin in OBX? What kind?

Thanks

Roger

30th October 2006, 04:14 AM

Hello Jesenko,
Ummmm... quite a dilemma you have going here.
You 85 L JP has an "A" or "E" box fin, right?
That&#39;s going to be very hard to change, out in deep water.
So, I think you will need to get an improved or larger free ride
fin that works on your board for the "out there" B&J conditions.
But, this isn&#39;t going to be the "magic solution" that you seek as it sounds like you are slogging (not planing) for that first 1 Km off the beach.
Unfortunately, there isn&#39;t any kind of fin that&#39;s going to really make much difference on an 85 liter wave board with soft rails in sub planing conditions.
So, while you are in Hatteras, you can try some different (larger or more area) fins, and I&#39;m sure they will improve your upwind capability
when planing, but won&#39;t do much for you when slogging.
If you get a fin big enough to make a difference, then it&#39;s going to be way too big once you get out to the windline and B&J conditions.
Sorry, I think an upgraded fin may help a little, but you&#39;ll still have to stand the little wave board on the upwind rail and slog out there.
The only thing you can do in "slogging" conditions is use the shape in the bottom of the board to stay upwind and go very slowly.
Hope this helps,

jesenko

30th October 2006, 06:02 AM

Kombat 86 comes with 30cm free ride as a second fin, so I???ll try fin that size first on my board.

Thanks

Roger

30th October 2006, 06:37 AM

Hi Jesenko,
Yes, a 30 cm more vertical planform free ride fin similar to what is provided with the Kombat 86 might work for you, but if you are slashing and bashing in the B&J conditions, your board will not be as "loose" as it is now with the smaller 25 cm wave fin.
You&#39;ll simiply have to try a couple of small fins until you find one that gives the best compromise between what you need to get out that first Km and what you need once you are out there.
Unfortunately, I&#39;ll probably be in Florida when you are here in Hatteras, as I have a bunch of different fins in that size range you could try out.
Sorry,
R

James

2nd November 2006, 03:41 AM

Jesenko,

Here&#39;s an idea: For more grip when shlogging / pointing without compromising high-wind control and turning ability you might try a short fin with lots of area. A "weed-wave" fin fits that description. Several brands of them are popular in the outer banks shops.

I have an Orca Weed Wave 25 cm that I really like on my 77 liter board in gusty conditions. One bonus is that since it can provide lateral resistance at lower speeds, you can slow down and point upwind in nuclear gusts without side-slipping.

jesenko

2nd November 2006, 04:33 AM

I&#39;ve already have Orca 30cm weed fin ( but it is not wave weed )...I&#39;ll try next time

thanks

James

3rd November 2006, 07:52 PM

I checked my weed-wave fin and it&#39;s actually 23 cm, not 25 cm as I wrote earlier. I&#39;ve used it with everything from a 6.6 to a 3.7 and it always does the trick.